In a bizarre ritual, an aghori monk was filmed sitting on the body of his dead mother to perform her last rites.
Aghoris, a sect of Hindu monks, are known for their extreme practices including feasting on human flesh.

As shocked people watched, the body of the dead woman was placed on a pedestal in a burial ground and the aghori monk sat her chest to perform the rituals.

The incident occurred in a village near Tiruchy of Tamil Nadu, India.

Mari, the 75-year-old mother of an aghori monk, Manikandan, 42, died of old age on October 1. Her relatives performed her last rites according to standard Hindu customs after which the son took over.

Along with his followers, he performed rituals following the aghori tradition during the course of which he sat on her body, prayed adn then buried her.

Though the rituals left many local villagers shocked, Manikandan said: “When we sit on the body, we absorb all the sins of the deceased and ensure that they find salvation.”

Manikandan, who hails from a village near Tiruchy, is the head of an aghori group, which has about 200 members.

A few months in a year they can be seen worshipping in a Kali temple near Tiruchy and the rest of the time they spend in Varanasi.

Aghori monks smear they body with ash and wear beads around their necks.

They live at burial grounds and break all human taboos in search of spiritual enlightenment.

They eat human flesh as part of their rituals, drink from skulls and meditate on top of cadavers.

The monks, who are usually high on alcohol or marijuana, are believed to able to predict the future.